The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-28
SALT LAKR 6 Los ANGELES.

Mr.. Charles n. Roser. OF New
York, is in the city for a few
days, with the promoters of th'
Salt Lake & Los Angeles railway
project The gentleman named is here
IS an expert engineer, rather than as q
promoter of the scheme. He represents
investors instead of operators. He has
come for a two-fold purpose; first, to 60
over the proposed route to obtain a
general idea of the country and its
adaptabiity to railway construction,
and, second, to learn of the resources
of the territory to be traversed and
which will be tributary to the road. He
has been very busy since his arrival,
collecting information and gathering
statistics. In the course of a few days
he, in company with a party, will
leave for Los Angeles, travelling
by mule wagons, and visiting
the more important mining dis
tricts en- route and examining
the mountain passes between Salt Lake
and the Pacific.
In view of the fact that the imme-
diate construction of the road will de-
pend largely upon the report of Mr..
Roser, we are heartily glad that he has
come to look over the field. His visit
viii be accepted by all as next to con-
elusive that the line will be built. AS a
capable engineer, he will necessarily
find the opening for railroad one of
the most promising if not the very best
in the United States to-day. Railway
construction in the United States dur
ing the past twelve years has been so
great that good territory for new lines
is becoming scarce. We doubt that
there is another such favorable oppor-
tunity as is presented in this 800 mile
stretch to the Pacific. At either end is
vigorous, healthy young city, full OF
life and with rapidly increasing popu
Istion and steadily growing Importance.
Salt Lake is the virtual termini of two
great railways, and by the time the
Salt Lake & Los Angeles shall be in
operation one and perhaps two other
roads from the east will end in this city.
Los Angeles is the center and head
quarters of the great fruit region of
Southern California. The traffic in
fruit alone is enormous, so vast in fact
that to-day the trade with the east will
go far towards maintaining the rail-
way. The proposed road, shortening |
by 900 or 700 miles the distance between |
the fruit grower and the market, will |
necessarily have the carrying traffic OF |
the Southern California region to the |
east. But the road will not have to de-
pend on the through business for its |
support; indeed, if the popular idea of
the country to be crossed is correct, the
through traffic will be only small por-
ton of the railways trade. For fully
500 miles the line is to traverse what is
understood to be the richest mineral
belt in the west, q country Astounding
in low grade silver-lead ores, and
known to contain some extremely rich
lodges, while marble and building stone
abound all along the line. These mines
and Quarries have been idle and unde-
veloped because of their isolation and
the absence of transportation facilities.
4 railroad will cause the hills to swarm
with stardy miners, will induce the
building of cities and towns and attract
a permanent and thrifty population.
The agricultural capabilities of some of
the valleys are great, and will at once
be put to the test when the railway
shall provide market for the products
II he.half that has been told of the
country and its resources shall prove.
true, the Salt Lake d Los Angeles
will, from the outset, be one of the
busiest and most profitable lines of rail-
way in the United States. 1t will as
suredly not have its equal in these re-
spects in the west.
Mr.. Roser being thoroughly capable
and careful gentleman, his trip is an
assurance Of the early commencement
OF operations on the road. It will not
take him long to learn enough of the
resources of the country to convince
him of the wisdom of building the road,
and with the data and statistics which
an overland journey will collect no
trouble will be encountered in obtaining
the money required. Salt Lake may
with safety and without fear of disap-
pointment, plume itself upon soon hav
ing dir ct connection by rail with the
T5ch region of Southern California, and
4pon being the eastern terminus of a
railway which will traverse the
weaIthiest mineral section of the west.